Are things always going to be this hectic??

Wow! It has been quite awhile since I have blogged. I just can't believe how busy I have been. I always thought that once your kids were out of school and most of them were on their own you would have alot of free time. Not so. We have been so busy. Ryan graduated from high school




and Seminary and had his Eagle Court of honor




and Daven's folks came out and he was made the Bishop all in the same weekend!!! My head is just starting to slow down from the spin now. I am still the Priamry President and although I like it very much it soemtimes is so busy with both of us in such high profile callings that it can get a bit stressful. I find that being the Bishop's wife is kind of a mini-calling all in and of it self that no one really tells you about. I feel often I need to be there to help him or at least offer support. For instance tomorrow he wants me to help him redecorate and move the furniture in the Bishop's office. I don't mind in fact its kind of fun. But I could use a housekeeper ;).
Ryan is working full time and will put in his mission papers soon. Then will come the frenzy that is known as "getting the Missionary ready" Always exciting, expensive and exhausting! LOL.
I still am enjoying being a Bo Bice fan. Right after our "big weekend" in June Daven and I went to Nashville for one night so I could go to Bo's first ever Peep party. It was fun. We had lunch, Bo talked and sang and talked and talked and sang but mostly talked. Ha, ha, ha. He is very nice. He had an auction of some of his stuff and the money when to the Wounded Warrior program. I actually got some of his clothes. A leather Vest and Suede pants. He signed them and I got my picture with him yet again. It's not my favorite picture with him but it was a fun night. I thanked him for letting us be a small part of everything. He stopped signing my stuff and turned and looked me right in the eye and said that I should not say that that we were not a small part but a huge part of this. Very sweet of him. Here are the clothes. He wears the vest in one part of the DVD portion of The Real Thing Dual disk and the pants in a different spot on the DVD. Kinda cool to have it ..although I have no clue what I will do with them. Right now they are on the shelf in my closet. I think it might be nice to put them in a shadow box.














The only thing I have tired of recently is the sometimes one upmanship that goes with being a fan...there seems like there is a bit of a competion among fans to go to the most concerts...some travel to all or most, get the most pictures of Bo and the best pictures of Bo, have him know you by name, etc. In other words a competion to be his #1 fan. It all gets a little tedious and tiresome sometimes and so right now I am taking a little break from the fansites. Not to mention a lot of time can be spent on all of this stuff. And although it's fun, I find that if I am not careful I tend to "play" more than work and there are somethings that I need to get done around here!
The upcoming Primary activity which is a Pioneer themed potluck and games activty has turned into a Ward activity and is now going to be held at our house. We have the room. But, sometimes is a little stressful knowing that the entire ward has just been invited to your house. Also, this week I am getting Teacher improvement together for Sun. after Church and I am in charge of lunch and conducting. The idea is that if we feed them "they will come".
Last but certainly not least we are looking forward to Cheri Kay's graduation from BYU. I just mailed the announcements today. I think they turned out so cute!




After the Graduation we are going out to Oregon and will go to the beach for a week with the whole family. (We are not sure if Aaron and Paige will be there it depends on his job situation.) I think I will probably just collaspe some where on the beach by then. At least until someone says "Mom, can I talk to you?" And I really wouldn't have it any other way. :)

3 Nights of Bo Bice

I just retuned from a three day trip this past weekend to see Bo Bice in concert every night. It was so much fun! And all 3 concerts were compleately different in Mood, Venue and some of the music also was different. I could go on and on...which I have been doing on my blog on Bo's website and on one other of his unofficial fansites that I blog on.... I am not sure if family is as interested in these blogs as other Bo fans are. So, I will just post my new picture that I had taken with him before his concert that was the last one. It was right down the road from my house about 20 miles in Warsaw Indiana. This turned out to be the best concert I have ever attended bar none. I think I will post also my favorite song from that night... It was not on his set list. He decided to jam with Bart becasue the audience was just so apprecitive that night. I had never seen him do this or these songs. This is what we got...it really was an amazing evening.

The weekly Receipe

I almost forgot I promised a weekly Receipe. Aaron has been requesting this, so here it is:

Potato Casserole

6 large Potatoes

1/2 cube Marg. melted

1 can Cream of Chicken Soup

1 cup Sour Cream

1/4 cup Chopped Green Onions

1/2 Cup Grated Cheese

Boil and Shred or Grate potatoes. Mix next 5 ingredients. Pour over potatoes mix lightly.

Topping:

3/4 Cup Crushed Corn Flakes and 1 Tablespoon melted Marg. (I put the Corn Flakes in a plastic resealable bag and crush them with a rolling pin. Then I pour the melted marg. in and close the bag and mix it by squishing it with my hands. Much less messy this way.)

Put potato mixture in a 2 Qt. casserole and sprinkle with the topping. Bake at 350 for 30 min.

Ok so that is the receipe for this week. Now for some news. Dad and I are going to work at Ryan's speech meet at the high school tomorrow. We will be doing concessions and then hopefully get to see Ryan in the finals...If he makes them. He has been doing very well in speech so I think our chances are good. We have never gotten to see him in speech and are looking forward to it. Next weekend the 13 through the 15 are 3 back to back Bo Bice concerts for me. Dad and I are going to Ponticac Michigan ( just outside of Detroit) on Fri. then to West Dundee Illinois ( just out side of Chicago) on Sat. We will come home Sun. afternoon and Dad will stay here and I will drive 20 miles to Warsaw to see the final concert that night. I have a meet and Greet at 6 :15 before the concert starts so it should be fun. I am enjoying behaving like a teenager. I think it helps me not get too stressed about being the Primary President. LOL.

So in an effort to have this blog be useful as I stated yesterday, I have deceided to have a "Receipe of the Week" Feature. These will include, but are not limited to "Old Favorites", "Family Reciepes" and " New Finds". I also will gladly take requests. Just send me an email or post a suggestion of what receipe you would like to see. I have deceided to start with one that Dad and I have had a few times but I don't think I ever served to you kids when you were little. It is defineately for Special Occassions as it is somewhat expensive and for sure not low calorie. It typically was served to Dad on an Anniversary, either when you kids were in bed or we went out of town and stayed in a trailer in a camp ground over our Anniversary weekend. It's called Barbecued Shrimp, although I have no idea why as it has nothing to do with a barbeque! It is supposed to be like a Shrimp Dish that is served in New Orleans. It is very spicey and quite messy. You will need towels with this one. I would serve this with a starch probably rice or pasta a green salad and a fancy dessert.

Also, in an effort to have this blog be useful as well as fun I am going to be telling some stories from my childhood, teenage years and early married life. I think this might help with some family history. And if not, some of these stories might be good for a laugh.

Barbecued Shrimp

3 slices bacon, chopped

1/2 lb. margine

2 T. Dijon-style mustard

1 1/2 t. chili powder

1/4 t. basil

1/4 t. thyme

1 t. fresh-ground coarse black pepper

1/2 t. oregano

2 cloves garlic, crushed

2 T. Rex Crab Boil or similar brand (available in most fish markets and many supermarkets)

1/2 t. Tabasco

1 1/2 lbs. large Shrimp with shells

Preheat oven to 375

In a small frying pan fry bacon until clear. Add the margarine and all other ingredients except the shrimp. Simmer for 5 min. Place the shrimp in an open baking dish and pour the sauce over the top. Stir once to coat all of the shrimp. Bake uncovered for 20 min., stirring twice during the baking process. Serve hot and at once! You may peel the shrimp before you eat them, but not before cooking. A lot of people eat them shell and all leaving just the tails. (This is how they are eaten in New Orleans) Dad of course eats the whole thing including the tail. I peel mine and then eat them. It is up to you. Have a towel ready for everyone. The receipe says it serves 6. However, I am pretty sure that Dad and I ate the whole thing. (Remember, the little t. stands for teaspoon and the big T. stands for Tablespoon) I hope you enjoy this.

I thought I would start my own blog. I thought it might be fun and I already had this one in name only so I could view my kids blogs. I thought might be a place to share my feelings and ideas and maybe some pictures. Indiana has provided some interesting stories and insights all of its own. I mean when was the last time your Home Teacher peed in your field before he left? Yes, that has happened here and yes we have a bathroom, three of them. But, things are defineately different here. I must admit I had a rather romantic view of what living in the country would be like. It can be lonely as well as peaceful. It can be isolating as well as beautiful. It is so different here than where I had lived in the Western states all of my life. Humor, food and culture are all different. I hope to be of some help in this blog. I hope to able to share some ideas and insights that I have learned from being a Mom for well over 20 years. But most of all I hope to make you smile.